Wreck crane



May 19, 1931. e. E. WEAVER ET AL WRECK CRAN E Filed May 26. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet l May 19, 1931. G. E. WEAVER ET AL WRECK CRANE Filed May 26, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 19, 1931.

G. E. WEAVER ET AL ,806,433

WRECK CRANE Filed May 26, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ke/ZZZZ May 19, 1931. G. E. WEAVER ET AL WRECK CRANE Filed May 26, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 19, 1931 nitas stares PATENT OFFIKIE GAILARD E. WEAVER AND ALBERT J. VET'IEL, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, AS SIGNORS TO WEAVER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, .A. CORPORA- TION OF ILLINOIS WREGK CRANE Application filed May 26, 1928. Serial No. 280,811.

Our presentinvention concerns features of improvement and betterment in cranes or hoists, especially those designed for use on trucks or service cars for handling wrecked automobiles, whereby to place the latter properly on the roadway or to convey them to service stations for repairs. i

In its preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a self-contained, compact structure which can be easily and quickly attached to any service car, since it is merely necessary to mount the appliance in place and to connect the circuit of the starting motor to the battery of such car, the motor being provided to start or crank an internal-combustion engine forming part of the appliance and which furnishes the needed power to do the work.

Stated a little differently, one of the objects of the invention is to provide a crane having power-driven means and designed to be mounted on the rear of an automobile-truck, or any other vehicle to be used in wrecking service, or any other type of service for which an appliance of that character would be adaptable.

i A further aim of the invention is to. supply a construction of the indicated character which is simple in structure, relatively economical to manufacture, effective in service, and easily operated to perform the various functions'for which it is intended.

To enable those acquainted with this art to have a full and complete understanding of the invention, in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, a present, preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in detail, and, for simplicity, like reference numerals have been employed to designate the same parts throughout the several views. 1

In these drawings, 7 V

Fig. -1 is a perspective view of the entire appliance;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, substantially-horizontal, cross-section on line 22 of Fig. 3, the parts being viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, side elevation of the device; i

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on the broken section-line H of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;; and

Fig.6is a partial elevation of the apparatus as viewed from the position 66 of Fig. 5.

Referring to these drawings, it will be perceived that the improved and novel crane comprises a skeletonframe of suitable structure and form adapted to be mounted on the rear portion of the body of a service car or truck, a boom 12 being hinged thereon at 13, its degree of inclination being adjustable by means of supporting or sustaining bars 14, 1 1 of any suitable type, but capable of elongation or shortening.

A bracket or ledge 15, outstanding from the frame 11, carries a one-cylinder, internalcombustion engine 16 fed by fuel from a supply-tank 17, a starting motor 18 being mounted directly on the protruding portion of the engine crankshaft, its electric circuit being controlled by an electric switch operated by a conveniently-positioned, actuating button 19 (see Fig. 1). j

' The engine crank-shaft has a sprocketwheel 20 (Fig. 3) thereon connected by a chain21 to a larger sprocket-wheel 22 revoluble on a shaft 23 (see Fig. 4) slidable in bearings in the side-walls of the frame 11, the

shaft being movable lengthwise by means of a handle 24 fixed thereon and having a hub with a cam face co-operating with a cam surface 25 on the end of the bearing member 26 secured to the frame, and which supports and accommodates one end portion of the shaft.

Sprocket-wheel 22 is bolted directly at 27 to a cone clutch-member 28 having an elongated hub 29 revolubly mounted on the shaft, such member being arranged to coact with an adjacent, companion, cone clutch-element 31 having a hub 32 rotatable on the shaft and equipped with a pinion 33, a spring 34 coiled around the shaft between the clutch-members tending to separate them in the usual way, but being capable of compression to allow their conical faces to frictionally bear on one another whereby to clutch or operatively connect the sprocket-wheel and the pinion toend V LPinion' 33isinconstant mesh with a gear 37 fixedly mounted on a shaft 38 revoluble in' gether, ball thrust bearings and 136 being I provided at opposite ends of the twohubs to take the strains.

The united members 22 and 28 are prevented from moving to the right, as viewed inlligure 4,rby means of a sleeve 123 engaging the bearings 35 and 26 at its opposite appropriate hearings in the frame side-walls and equipped at one protruding end with a spring-retracted handle :39 having a ratchet or notched end 41 designed to co-operate with a pin 42 through theshaft when'the handle is pushed in against the actionof its spring 48,

'the handle being normally free on the shaft I h under Ordinary conditions, but capable of use for turning the shaft by hand if, for any reason, the internal-combustionengine fails temporar'ily as a source of power.

. If,'.for any cause, the electric motor cannot be employed,-either temporarily or permanently, to crank the engine, such handle may be used also for' that purpose, provided the clutch is in action.

Shaft38'car'ries a; pinion 44=always inimesh withjand-revolving a gear 45 '(see Figs. 3 and 4) on what may be termed a drive-shaft fitted with a drive-pinion 47. I

The side of frame 11 adjacent to pinion 47 has a vertical slot 48 (Fig. 4;) accommodating an'endportionof an upper shaft 49, the

opposite end of which is in a bearing 51 in the other side-wallofithe frame and has suiiici-enft clearanceto allowthe other end of the shaft to beraised or lowered the amount permit'ftedby the length of the slot 48. 1

Anfnited gear 52,,awinding-drum 53 and a ratchet-wheel 54 are mounted to revolve as 2 a .unit on shaft 49'and to be driven'by" such gear from pinion 47 when these two latter elements are injmesh, and to be freed from such powerrotation when the. shaft is raised torelease gear {52 from such pinion.

Such'bod ily movement of one end ofshaft 49,.thatais to say,,the-right-hand end as the parts areviewed inFig. 4:, to mesh its gear with and to unmesh it from the drive-pinion, may be manually accomplished by means of a handle 55 (see Fig. 2) loosely' fulcrumed V on the frame side-wall by a slotand pin con- 'nection156, and having a cylindrical cavity 5Ziforthe reception of the extended end of thefshaft, ;in which itis fastened bya suitfablecrossrpin 58. r V g To hold "or maintain such handle 55 in *eithfll? one of its two positions, that is,- with the ,gear 52 in'o'r outofmesh with the pinion 47, itis provided witha hand-operated, sprin press'ed locking-plunger 59 designed to enter either, one of: two holes-61 or .62 inthe frame. '1. When the handle in such position: that 7 its holding-or locking-plunger 59 is in cavity 61, gggar 521 111 be "iniits down position in cumstances, the engine can drive the drum 53, provided the clutch 2831 is operative, but when such handle is in its raised position, so that the locking-plunger is in hole 62, gear 52 is elevated sufliciently to free it from the drive-pinion 47. 1

Drum 53 co -operates witha cable 63 which passes over a sheave-wheel 6e. swiveled on the top end of the boom, which arrangement facilitates handling a wrecked automobile while parallel to it without obstructing the road, the end, of the cable being'attached by ahook 65 to the end of the boom, a pulley and its hook 66 being mounted on the'cable for attachmentin any approved manner to the-wrecked car. e V o Toprevent the cable 63, when being paid out from the winding-drum, from spinning such-drumsufficiently to unwrap or unwind when the pulling action has ceased, an appropriate friction'meansfhas been supplied comprising (see Fig. .4) a coiled spring 67 encircling the shaft-4:9 and bearing atone end against a pin 68iextended through theshaft and into slot'69 inahollowcasting or sleeve I71 at the side of the ratchet-wheel54, and

slidable on the shaft, such spring also pressing against an inner shoulder of such sleeve. A like structure, characterized as a whole 72, is'employed at the other end of the shaft, except that'it incorporates no spring.

Such spring, therefore, afi'ordsa'suitabe amount of friction-resistance to prevent or preclude theoccurrence. of the objectionable spinning action referred to and without imposing anyforce tendingtospread apart the side-walls of the frame} 2 To hold the loadwith more or less cable wound on the -drum,'a dog or pawl '('8 (Fig.

5 ,rockingly mounted on a shaft 7 lsupported inthe frame,is' provided-to co-operate mesh with the pinion 4:7, and, under these cirall or an 'excessivelengthof the cable on it i with the teeth or. notches of the ratchet wheel 54: and to prevent the latter from turning in one direction, a shorttail 7 5 of such of the ratchet-wheel recess by itsownweight when the load has been released from the r drum, or when there is no longer 'any pressure on the dog or pawl by the ratchet-wheel due to the pull onthe cable. p v

Ofcourse, when thesprin'g isstrained, the

pawl is maintained' co-operative relation with the ratchet-wheel, locking the latter against turning in that one direction corresponding to the paying out of the cable.

The appliance includes also a lower winding-drum 82 and its cable or chain 83 equipped with a terminal hook 84 (see Figs. 1 and 4) for connection to the wrecked vehicle.

Such drum is rotatable on its shaft 85, the

' construction including also a ratchet-wheel from the pinion.

Handle 96, of course, controls the operation ofthe corresponding holding pawl 91 to release the drum to permit unwinding of its cable when occasion requires. c

In order to control and regulate the lowering'of the load, whether the latter is imposed on either cable alone or the two cables conjointly, a suitable and appropriate brakemechanism is made a part of the appliance.

This includes a properly-lined, curved brake-shoe 98 loosely hinged on the frame at 99 and adapted to bear on the outer, cylindrical surface of the clutch-element 31, such shoe being normally retracted by a coiled, contractile spring 101 fastened thereto and to any stationary part of the structure.

To force such shoe into braking action, the device includes an appropriately-journaled shaft 102 fitted at one end with a convenient operating handle 103, and equipped alsowith a bar portion 104 designed to bear at two, spaced points on the shoe (see Fig. 5) and push it away into frictional engagement with the companion clutch-member, when the shaft'is turned by itshandle.

' Thus, this braking device may be used with either'of the winding-drums individually, or with both together, it being understood, of course, that the clutch as such is inoperative during the use of the brake.

In such a construction of brake mechanism,

the spring constantly'holds the brake-shoe against the bar 104 at two points and indirectly acts on the handle 103, thus keeping out rattles and objectionable looseness of the structure. c i

As is indicated in Fig. 3, the clutch-controlling handle-24 has-a downward extension 105 terminating in an eye or loop 106, to which, if desired, a rope may be attached and played out to the wreck.

When the operator, who may be at or near the wreck, at some distance from the crane, pulls such rope, the clutch is thrown into action, and the winding-up operation of the one or the other, or both, of the cables takes place.

This enables the operator to watch the movement of the wreck from a suitable point and without loss of control of the clutch, and without requiring the presence of an assistant.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the novel crane is simple in structure and easy to operate, much like driving an automobile. 1

After the engine is cranked by the motor by pressing the self-starter button, the upper or lower drum, as desired, is thrown into engagement with the drive-shaft, by means of the one or the other'gear-shift lever, and the cone clutch is engaged by holding down the clutch lever handle until the load is raised to the desired height, where it is held stationary by the ratchet dog or dogs, as previously mentioned. a

The clutch is automatically disengaged as soon as the lever-handle is released, this, of course, representing an important safety feature, as the use of the clutch makes it possible to raise the load as slowly or as quickly as desired and to exactly the required height.

After disengaging the holding dog, the lowering of the load is controlled by means of the brake, as has been indicated.

It may be noted that the gear shift, clutch and brake levers, and starter button are all operated from the same side of the crane and can be conveniently reached by the operator while standing on the ground, thus giving him a clear view of the work to be accomplished and as it proceeds.

The power operation of the crane not only saves time and labor on ordinary work, but enables one mechanic to deal with extremely difficult jobs which otherwise could not be handled at all or which would require the presence of several mechanics or workmen.

The possibility of taking the pull from either winding-drum singly or both at the same time greatly facilitates handling difficult wrecks.

YVhen the disabled car is at some distance from the road or overturned in a ditch, and a long, straight pull is necessary to right it, such result can be accomplished through the operation of the lower drum, using it as a winch.

Both drums can be used, either individually or at the same time, to suit the convenience of the operator, in order to get the car on to the road to best advantage, and the upper drum is used to raise the car for towing purposes after it has been brought to proper position with respect to the service car on which the crane is mounted.

7 As has;been -indicated,it is sometimes desirable thatboth 'winding-drunis'be operated conjointly during a part of the wrecking op eration, and it is at the same time desirable thateach. onebe capable of separate operation during some other portion ofthe same wrecking work; consequently, it is necessary or "desirable that simple and convenient 1 .means be provided for throwing the wind ing-drums into and outof contact withthc driving-pinion, and in the mechanism illustrated and described this has been accomplished in avcommercially feasible manner.

-' The'method described above of lifting the winding-drum gear into and out .of mesh with its driving pinion overcomes certain a'deviceof this general kind that is to say,

mechanical. difficulties ordinarily present in difliculty is ordinarily encountered in lifting a gear 'out'of'mesh with its'pinion when a loadis pulling against the drumthrough the Companion cable, thus tending ,to rotateit,

but in the presentinstance the drum is held against rotation by theratchet-wheel and its co operating locking-pawl, both ofwhich are located near the hinged mounting of the shaft,[so that the relativexmovement, when .the gear is pulled out-of mesh.- with its pin ion, betweenf the ratchet+wheel and its pawl is comparatively small, resulting in l ttle or no tendency toxrotatethe drum during the V unmeshing'action.

' Furthermore, the pull on cable is at substantially right-angles to the longitudinal dimension of the slot 48 or 88, ,;asthe case .may be, and the strainofsuch pull is borne by the wall of the 'correspondingslot of the frame side rather-than-by the means, includingthe handle 55. or 89, by which the shaft .iS-gIZLlSGCl orlowered to shift its gear out of or into mesh with the.

Weclaimr 1. In a wr'eck-crane, the combinationqof a slotted fraine',.-ai revoluble winding-drum, a cable adapted to be wound upon and unwound from said drum, a shaft onwhich said drum is mounted rockingly supported on driving pinion." l

' said frame near one end; ofthe shaft and occupying said slot near its other I end, re

leasable means to'hold said'drum from turning to pay-out'the cable, a gear. on said shaft near-that one of its, ends capable ofthe greater rocking movement, a drive-pinion wi'th which said gear .is adapted to mesh and 'unmesh by the" rocking movement of said Shaft, Ineans to revolve; said drive-pinion, a slotted handle fastenedto said shaft, a fuli Etothe meshedand unmeshed relationof said crum lug rigid with said frame occupying said handle slot, and means to lock said handle in either of two positions corresponding gear and pinion. 1

1 2.4 In aIwreck-crane, "the combination of a slotted frame, a revoluble winding-drum, a

cable adapted to "be wound upon and; to be unwou d er ro n a d r cti Su s an tially. atright-angles to the lengthwise dimension of the slot of' such frame, a shaft on which said drum is. mounted'rookingly supportedon saidjframe near one end of the shaft and occupying said slot near itsother end, means to holdsuch drumfromturning to pay out the cable, a gear on said shaft near thatone of its endszcapable. of the greater rocking movement, a driverpinion'with which said gear is adapted to mesh andunmesh by the rocking movements. of said shaft in said slot, means to revolve said drive-pinion,'and means to roclrsaid shaft in said slot, the wall of said slot relieving said shaft-rocking means of strain due topull on the cable.

3. In a wreck-crane, the combination ofa frame, a revoluble winding-drum on. said a frame, a cable associated with said windings drum, a ratchet-wheel connected I to said winding-drunna holding-pawl co-operating unhin'gedend of said'shaft, awindi-ng-drum revoluble-on said shaft, a cable associated withsaid winding-drum, a "pin projecting fromsaid-shaft,a sleeve .slidable, on said shaft and having a slot co-operatingwith said pin to". prevent; the sleeve from, rotating on said shaft, a spring insaid sleeve b'earingagainst said pinand pressing the sleeve lengthwise the shaft to;impose friction? on one end of said' winding-drum, an abutment on said shaft with which the opposite end of said windingrdrum co-operates, whereby the friction applied to said winding-drum by said spring. prevents-spinning' of the drum and undue paying outof the cable without putting strain on said,frameside-walls, aratchet-wheel connected to said ;winding-drum near the hinged end'of said shaft, a holdingpawl adapted to co-operate with said ratchetwheel to prevent said drum from turningto unwind the cable, a gear onsaid shaftto rotate said winding-drum,-a drive-.pinionwith which said gear is adapted tomesh and unmesh by the swinging-movements of said shaft, and means to revolve said drive p1n1on., I r I In witness whereof-'wehave hereunto. set our hands.

V ALBERT J. vE'rTEL.

GAILARDEQWEAVER 

